January 2018 Government of Canada Supports Program that Promotes Smoke-free Lifestyle
On behalf of the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health, Robert Oliphant, Member of Parliament, announced funding for Picking Up the PACE (Promoting and Accelerating Change through Empowerment) – a smoking cessation resource program for health practitioners supported by MPA and provided through the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH).
Read more » January 2018 Isaac, the man who lost the story he needs to live
Check out this story by MPA's Dr. Robert Maunder based on how physical health in adults is compromised by childhood trauma. Featured in Medium and co-authored by Dr. Jon Hunter.
Read more » December 2017 Unique fellowship in integrated heathcare awarded to an NP
Shannon Wright started a prestigious one-year fellowship with the Medical Psychiatry Alliance this September. She is the first Nurse Practitioner to hold this fellowship.
Read more » November 2017 Trillium Health Partners receives award for unique educational initiative
Congratulations to THP, the recipient of the 2017 Innovations in Patient Safety Education Award - Power of a System, recognizing its Quality Improvement module of the Medical Psychiatry Collaborative Care Certificate (MP3C).
Read more » July 2017 Bridging the Gap: Using Interprofessional Simulation to Help Train Health Providers
Dr. Christopher Kowalski, a child and adolescent psychiatrist from the U.K. who is currently undertaking an MPA Simulation Fellowship, pens this blog about the recent simulation training course he helped to create and offer recently to Canadian health care providers. He shares this thoughts on why it will have a significant impact on improving the care of young people with complex physical and mental health needs.
Read more » May 2017 Therapy gets off the couch
MPA's Dr. Paul Kurdyak was featured in a panel discussion on TVO's The Agenda recently, looking at access to mental health care in Ontario and some innovations that are helping Ontarians access care faster.
Read more » May 2017 Physicians-in-Training Experience Care through the Eyes of the Patient
It's unusual for doctors-in-training to put themselves in the shoes of their future patients. However, all first year medical students in the new Foundations Curriculum at the University of Toronto (U of T) were asked to do just that in a recent mandatory, one-day simulation experience titled, 'Getting to Know Patients' System of Care' (GPS Care).
Read more » April 2017 Doctors’ Notes: Activity helps protect against childhood depression
Dr. Daphne Korczak, lead of the Children’s Integrated Mood and Body (CLIMB) Depression Program, an MPA initiative at SickKids, provides tips to families regarding childhood depression in this recent Toronto Star article.
Read more » April 2017 Coaching your way to better mental health
Mental-health coaches, the first of their kind in Canada, are helping those with depression, anxiety and at-risk drinking. In this news story, The Toronto Star recently profiled the MPA’s PARTNERs project.
Read more » March 2017 Back to the basics: a reminder of the importance of addressing our clients’ co-existing mental AND physical health needs
In her monthly message as Director of the Board of the Ontario Society of Occupational Therapists, Laura Hayos reflects on her new role within the MPA and why, now more than ever, we need an integrated approach to patient care.
Read more » February 2017 Doctors’ Notes: Teens’ weight struggles can damage mental health
In this Toronto Star article published Feb. 20, 2017, pediatric psychologist Dr. Elizbaeth Dettmer, who is leading the MPA STOMP initiative at SickKids, provides tips to families and teens grappling with eating and weight issues, which can also impact teens’ mental health
Read more » January 2017 Ontario children and youth with ADHD often prescribed antipsychotics, study finds
In this CBC news story, Dr. Paul Kurdyak and his team at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences have found that one in 20 Ontario children and youth have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and many are prescribed antipsychotic drugs, despite having no other mental health diagnoses.
Read more » January 2017 Health & Community Leaders Talk: Dr. Paul Kurdyak
Dr. Paul Kurdyak, MPA Director of Health Outcomes, shares his thoughts on how the MPA is contributing to a healthier, wealthier, smarter Ontario. This blog post, featured on CAHO's website, is part of a blog series looking at why health research matters in Ontario.
Read more » November 2016 Doctor’s Notes: Help your child cope with diabetes
In this Toronto Star Doctor’s Notes column, Dr. Ian Zenlea provides tips for families of children diagnosed with diabetes, emphasizing the importance of caring for a child’s mental health as well as their diabetes condition.
Read more » October 2016 Diabetic teens screened for depression with new pilot project
Featured in The Mississauga News, MPA's new model of integrated care for youth with diabetes is profiled. Dr. Ian Zenlea was interviewed in this article.
Read more » September 2016 Sharing MPA’s vision and work in progress, far and wide
During the week of Sept. 19-22, MPA staff presented MPA’s vision and work in various areas of care, research and education, at the International Association for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Allied Professions in Calgary, and here at home in Toronto, at the Canadian Psychiatric Association’s 66th Annual Conference. Check out our Twitter page @MedPsychNews for more info.
Read more » August 2016 CAMH Education and International Mental Health Simulation Collaboration: Part 1
CAMH's Dr. Latika Nirula and the simulation team there have lead the way for an international simulation education partnership, which is working to achieve the goals of the Medical Psychiatry Alliance. In this introductory blog post, Latika explains how the project began.
Read more » August 2016 Featured in Hospital News: MPA’s work in children and youth care
The CL Psychiatry Program team at The Hospital for Sick Children is the clinical arm of the MPA providing comprehensive, interdisciplinary and collaborative care to children and adolescents with complex co-occurring physical and psychiatric illnesses. Read more in this issue of Hospital News.
Read more » July 2016 Doctor’s Notes: Thinking holistically about kids’ health
In this Toronto Star column, Dr. Claire De Souza writes about the importance of realizing the connection between the conditions that straddle mental and physical health for children and teens. The MPA is working to break down this dichotomy by implementing new models of integrated care for children and teens.
Read more » May 2016 Doctor’s Notes: Your mental health can affect your heart health
Imagine a teenager recently diagnosed with depression, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. She gets a prescription that helps, but also makes her gain weight — a lot of weight. It’s a common side effect, she’s told, but isn’t her mental health most important?
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